Chris Lombardi puts defense and security under the spotlight, as he shares his takes on recent NATO and EU cooperation and provides insight into the company’s own long-term strategic partnerships in Europe.

Three trends are currently driving the global electricity sector: decarbonization, decentralization and differentiation. Utilities are making significant contributions to mitigate carbon emissions, while a technology revolution is …

Court takes the high ground

The European Union has often been accused of going soft on the single market. Here comes further proof, provided by the European Court of Justice (ECJ).

An advocate general at the ECJ said last week that a ban imposed by authorities in the Dutch city of Maastricht on non-resident foreigners buying cannabis was justified under current single-market rules.

The ban was introduced in 2005, but was challenged in the courts by a disgruntled owner of what is euphemistically known as a coffee shop.

His shop was closed for three months in 2006 after it was found that some of his customers were not Dutch residents, even if they were from the EU.

Opponents of the ban had hoped that it could be overturned on the grounds that it infringed the EU’s cherished principle of freedom of movement.

The advocate general, however, said that the ban was justified as a measure to protect public order and fight the illegal trade in narcotics. He said that single-market rules do not apply to illegal drugs and that cannabis, although tolerated in the Netherlands, is just that.

Curiously, this particular aspect of the single market was not addressed in the recent report from Professor Mario Monti, which was discussed by European commissioners this week (20 July).

? The Council of Ministers working party on drugs has just received a paper from the Belgian presidency entitled: “Drugs, young people and party venues”. The paper is not strong on specifics – “There is a European party-going culture that is providing a great many young people with formative experiences” – but its stated aim is to “look at party venues from a European perspective” and to “work out some agreed rules and a shared understanding of the specific features of this sector”.

Well, exporting all the party-goers to the Netherlands is one approach, but it’s already been tried and it ran foul of an ECJ advocate general.